Sunday, December 28, 2014

This world is not safe for children, so God came among us as a child, calling us all to the unsafe path, the path of the cross and of risk, in order to transform this broken world and make it safe for all children of God.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Holy Innocents, Martyrs texts: Jeremiah 31:15-17; Matthew 2:13-18

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

This world is not safe for children.

It’s a terrible indictment on all of us adults who ought to make it safe, but it’s true. Children are regularly victims of war they don’t cause, poverty they were born into, hunger they can do nothing about, ambitions and power they have no control over, victims of even their own parents and families. There are too many examples to bear.

This world is not safe for children. We don’t want to run from our shock and horror hearing this story of Bethlehem so soon after Christmas. We need to hold it longer. This thing Matthew relates happens so often we barely register one before the next comes; eventually we hardly pay attention to any. Feeling them all is more than we can bear, so we choose to feel none.

This world is not safe for children. Not even for the Son of God. Immediately this barely-arrived baby is threatened with death. Others suffer tragically in his place. “A voice is heard, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted, because they are no more.” How many mothers weep today, refusing to be comforted? More than we can bear to think about.

This world is not safe for children and it’s not just the fault of the villains.

There is so much danger and wickedness, but we avoid facing our own part in it. We always look to the perpetrators, as if that’s the answer. Evil villains serve a useful purpose if we wish to avoid self-reflection.

Herod did awful things, that’s true. He murdered his own sons, he murdered his own wife. He tried to arrange a mass-murder for the day of his death so there would be someone who mourned on that day. Herod had power, and he wanted control of his life, his reign, his kingdom. So he used his power. This decision to kill the children of Bethlehem took very little thought or energy.

But the problem lies deeper than finding a person to blame. Whenever we have such a tragedy the bulk of our time is spent trying to figure out why the person did it, as if there’s ever a reason that makes sense. If we can call the perpetrator evil, deranged, wicked, “not us,” we think we can move on untouched.

Yet this world remains unsafe for children, while we pretend these are isolated incidents.

When will we admit our own guilt in this unsafe world?

We don’t have Herod’s authority, and we say we don’t seek the death of others. But we do like things comfortable, we like things our way, and we’re often careless about the expense of it all, while others pay that expense.

If our way of life pollutes this planet and depletes resources at an alarming rate far out of proportion to our numbers on the planet, what do we care? We want what we want. It’s too big a problem for us to solve anyway. And so this world is not safe for children.

If our American spirit leads us to unchecked distribution of weapons and more and more prisons, what do we care? We want what we want. It’s too much effort to spend money ensuring all children get good health care and head starts on life; we’ll just pay far more in massacres and in more incarcerations than anyone else. And so this world is not safe for children.

If our way of life leads our businesses and corporations to exploit people around the world, cause resentment and bitterness among whole nations of people, perpetuate patterns of hunger and oppression, what do we care? We want what we want. We can always use our weapons to clean up the messes we leave around the world. And so this world is not safe for children.

Are we not Herod in every way except that we’ve left the final orders in the hands of others who do what our polls demand, our consumer hearts require?

There were no glib answers for the mothers and fathers of Bethlehem, and there are none for us, either. This world is not safe for children.

We can’t sit in our comfort and prosperity and pretend all is well. That if we don’t hear stories like this, or if we ignore them, they aren’t real. Or they don’t affect us. We can’t sit in our comfort and prosperity and pretend we have nothing to do with all this, either. These children of Bethlehem, and Pakistan, and countless schools and villages and cities here, cry out for someone to care, to stand with them.

Maybe Rachel refuses to be comforted because she’s afraid this will never stop. That others, that we, will continue to make decisions that affect her life, her children, but won’t stop because they, we, don’t care about collateral damage.

It should break our hearts. It certainly breaks God’s heart.

That’s the whole point of this birth in Bethlehem. God looked at the pain and misery and despair we’ve made and decided to come into our midst, as one of us. Unwilling to use divine power and might to stop all this, for then God would simply be another Herod, only far worse, the Triune God who made the stars became a helpless infant whose fate rests in our hands.

Do you see what God has done? We have made this world unsafe for children, so God came to us as a child. God gave us the authority to decide if we want this God-with-us, this Emmanuel, in our midst. To decide if children could be safe here.

There was no need for the manger to lead to the cross, unless we persisted in our selfishness, violence, and destruction. We could have welcomed this child, heard his teachings as an adult, and followed, making the world a place of grace and life for all. We still could.

Or we could reject him and kill him. Jesus escapes Herod as a child, but only for a time. The Herod in all of us finally catches up to him and puts an end to the nonsense about a way of love and peace between neighbors, between us and God.

Yet God’s answer to the mighty, to us, is always to be weak and vulnerable.

Our Prayer of the Day has it wrong. We prayed, “by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace.” We should have prayed, “by your vulnerability lived out in our lives,” do these things. That’s the way of Christ.

God constantly goes to the only place worth going: to be with the children of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Damascus and Pakistan and Africa and America as they are killed. The Son of God enters the brutality of the world we have made and lets us kill him. And something astonishing happens.

Life happens. God raises Jesus from the dead, and everything is changed. God shows that the path that walks alongside the children, the path of weakness and vulnerability, is the only path that leads to life. Standing in the way of power and letting it do what it will is the only way that saves anyone.

So ironically, the only way to ensure safety for others is for us to take the path that is not safe. The only way to avoid trampling someone else is to allow ourselves to be trampled. The only way we can avoid harming someone else is if we are willing to be harmed ourselves. When enough of God’s children walk this way, walk with the least of these, risk everything for the sake of the other, step aside from anything that harms others, the world starts to change. Life begins to happen.

God risked being a child to begin to make this world safe for children.

Will we join God’s way of healing and hope for this world? Or will we remain on Herod’s side?
There is comfort for the Rachels of this world, even for us, when we begin to understand this path that lies before us now, the path that leads from the manger to the cross. When we are willing to walk that path, we begin to see hope come to this world, and to us.

God’s reign of justice, love, and peace for which we prayed is the only hope for the children of this world. Jesus has shown us the path to that reign: our own vulnerability and loss. For the sake of all the children, let us pray the Spirit’s grace that we find our way onto that path and soon, and into the life God hopes for all this world’s children.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Christmas does not always feel like a joyful time. The good news of Jesus’ birth does not come to a world unbroken. God comes to us in Jesus and brings the light, and in the light we can rejoice.Vicar Meagan McLaughlinThe Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Day texts: Isaiah 52: 7-10, Psalm 98, Hebrews 1: 1-12, John 1: 1-14

Joy and peace to you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Since my youngest brother Kevin moved out of state many years ago, we have a tradition of talking on the phone every Christmas Day if he is not in town, and we always start out by singing to each other, as we did here this morning . . . “Joy to the world, the Lord is come . . .” If Advent is about waiting, expectation, hope, Christmas is about joy. Jesus has come, God is with us, Emmanuel! Isaiah cries out to the people describing the beauty of the very feet of the messenger who announces peace and the fulfillment of salvation, and the sentinels sing in joy at the news. God reigns, the promise has been fulfilled! And it is good news. Joy to the world, indeed!

The truth is, however, that Christmas does not always feel like a joyful time. Joy as we experience it in this world is fleeting, dependent on external circumstances, and it is not easy to feel joyful in times of struggle. We live in a broken world, and we are painfully aware, especially as we take seriously the voices calling for justice in our communities, of our own sin and need for forgiveness and healing. And meanwhile, the ebb and flow of life continues around us. There are people in this community today grieving the death of loved ones, walking through a loved one’s final days of life, experiencing serious medical crises, poverty, and homelessness, and facing many other very real challenges. Grief, fear, and anger are present around us. In the midst of these realities, the invitation—the command—to “be joyful” can sound like a directive to ignore the dark side of the truth and pretend everything is fine, or it can sound like an impossible task that quickly becomes evidence of our failure, weak faith.

We live in a world that tells us, and we often tell ourselves, “I could be happy if . . .” and “All will be well, when . . .” Fill in the blank. Spoken or unspoken, we all have our conditions. If I complete this project perfectly. When I lose 10 pounds. If I get the right job. When I am completely healthy. These messages set us up for disappointment and failure on so many levels. And the worst part is, when we hold on to these conditions, we are captive to the mistaken belief that rejoicing is only possible when the problems of this world, and our own lives, have been resolved, everything is in order, even perfect. This is an expectation that we, and life itself, are never going to meet. Our country is torn apart by violence, racism, to the point where at times it can seem so dark as to be beyond all hope, and it can even feel that we must have been abandoned by God for such sorrow, or pain, or devastation, to exist.

Thanks be to God, the good news of Jesus’ birth does not come to a world unbroken. The promise in John is not that there is no darkness, but that the darkness has not overcome the light. Isaiah’s cry is not to a people living in wholeness, success, and comfort. Isaiah calls to a people living in exile, experiencing the reality of the destruction of the temple which they saw as the house of God. As far as the people were concerned, God had been cast out and had abandoned the people with the tearing down of the temple, many had died, Israel was scattered. Isaiah’s song goes out not to a people united and free, with a temple standing in glory, but to the ruins and the wastelands. And as they stand in the ruins, the people are called to sing and praise, trusting in the comfort of a God who promises restoration. They may not have been feeling joy, but they were called to rejoice.

We are, in many ways, living as much in the ruins and wastelands as the people of Israel were in the time of Isaiah. As we hear Isaiah’s cry, and John’s promise, for ourselves, the darkness, the sin, the grief, the pain of this life we live are not swept aside or discounted, but assumed. And the promise to us is the same as it has been from the beginning. No matter how dark the world we live in, and how hard it may be at times to feel joy, the light of God shines in the darkness, and will never be overcome.

This Christmas Day, we come together as people of the light. We know the darkness—it is all around us. God came to this broken world in Jesus so that we also know the light. We know that God is always with us, right in the midst of our very human experience, not only in the joys but also in the sorrows. We know the extravagant love that brought our God to us, and God’s promise to heal and transform us and this broken world. We know the faithfulness of the people of God in the stories handed down for generations and generations. And we know the faithfulness of our God, who comes to us as light in the darkness.

We are called every day, but especially on this day of rejoicing in God’s coming to us in Jesus, to be the presence of God in this world. We rejoiced in the light of God this week when we opened Mount Olive’s doors and the hungry among our members and the hungry among our neighbors shared food and fellowship at the Community Meal. We rejoiced when we came together to provide gifts for children whose parents are struggling to cover basic needs. We rejoiced as we decorated this sacred space, and rehearsed music, and prepared to celebrate liturgies together, claiming the promise of God alive in our midst.

We are called to continue to rejoice as we offer love and comfort to those in this community and in our families who are particularly burdened with the darkness of this life, letting them know that they are not alone and that the God of light stands with them. We are called to rejoice as we stand with those crying for justice, and become willing to change so that justice is possible. And, we are called to rejoice as we celebrate with those experiencing life, healing, and love. All around us are opportunities to witness to the light that the darkness will not overcome. How will you rejoice today? To whom will you carry the light?

If Advent is about waiting and watching and hoping, Christmas is about rejoicing, regardless of our circumstances. Jesus, Emanuel, God with us, has come to be a light in the midst of our darkness. A single candle in a dark room can bring light for the one who carries it, and for those who stand near them. And from the light of just one candle, countless candles can be lit, and the light grows. The darkness will never overcome it. God comes to us in Jesus and brings the light, and in the light we can rejoice!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

This night is not an escape, a sweetness that makes us forget the darkness of the world; it is God’s entering into that darkness to make light – in Jesus, then in us.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Eve texts: Luke 2:1-20; Isaiah 9:2-7

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.”

That’s Isaiah’s claim. This birth, this child, is God’s light in the darkness of this world. And there’s plenty of darkness. We’re destroying the environment, we’re drowning in hatred and prejudice, we see little hope to an end to war and hunger and oppression. In our personal lives, things aren’t perfect; loved ones suffer, loved ones die; family members disappoint us, or we them. We fear the future, other people, other nations, our own actions. We know about walking in darkness.

If Isaiah tells the truth, this child, this birth, is the transformational gift of God for the whole world. God’s light actually shining into our deep darkness.

We need to be careful we aren’t overcome by the beauty of these words, the beauty of Christmas music, the beauty of these brief minutes here tonight, and forget all these proclaim this is God’s truth that changes the world.

We need to be careful we don’t see this liturgy as a moment of escape from a difficult life, a scary world, from our problems and anxieties, and forget that this birth, this child, signals the precise opposite of escape for God and for us. God has entered our world, our darkness, our anxieties, our fears, our pain and that of all people, and has an answer in this child and in us that will finally heal all things.

This night cannot be simply a beautiful moment that has no impact on our lives or the world.

This night cannot be simply a time to sing words of deliverance and hope from God without believing this deliverance and hope is true and already working in the world.

Much of what passes for “Christmas spirit” and “holiday cheer” are artificial attempts to manufacture a sense of hope and joy centered on this night. All the planning, all the purchasing, all the hoping for a perfect holiday, all attempt to make something that isn’t real. We try to create joy and hope, we desire perfection in celebration, in family behavior, in food, in gifts, as if all that is the real good news. But if our lives, our families, our city, our world, are not whole and at peace and perfect in October or in February, pretending they are in this one season, hoping they will be, is guaranteed to disappoint.

This night either signals the grace of God alive in the world that we can rely on, proclaim, trust in every day that follows tonight, or it’s just an escape from reality. And reality is going to hit us pretty hard tomorrow, or the next day. Maybe even tonight.

In fact, we can only see God’s Good News when we realize our families don’t always get along, when our celebrations fall apart, when we just can’t get into the spirit, when we suffer pain and loss at this season, when others frighten us, or disappoint us, when the world looks as if it is broken beyond repair.

Because when we know we’re living in darkness, and don’t need to fake that we’re not, the Good News that God’s doing something to lighten that darkness is something we can hear, believe, and live.

So listen to the angel: this is no ordinary baby.

The shepherds weren’t sent to a beautiful star-lit crèche to be overcome with sentiment at a baby in his mother’s arms.

They were told by the angel of God that if they went they would find a Savior, a Messiah, a Lord in that baby. The challenge the angel gives the shepherds and us is to force ourselves away from the distraction of the sweetness of this night, of a little baby, and see God’s answer to the pain of the world.

A cute baby only distracts us. The Son of God can actually save us.

The angel says that’s exactly what this baby will do, that news of this baby’s coming is “great joy for all the people.”

Listen to Isaiah: the yoke of oppression is broken in this child. The birth of this child signals the end of enslavement for all people. The end of oppression. If this is true, if Jesus will do this, then there is real joy for all people.

Listen to Isaiah: the boots of the tramping warriors and the garments rolled in blood will be burned for heating. This is even more potent than beating swords into plowshares. This child is the Prince of Peace, Isaiah says, and in his coming wars will end, and all the implements of war will become fuel to warm the children of this world. If this is true, if Jesus will do this, then there is real joy for all people.

This is the truth we seek tonight: how is the coming of this child the beginning of God’s ending of human violence and hate and killing? How is it God’s answer to our own fears and pain? How is God born as a baby any kind of answer to this dark world, to all people?

That is, does a vulnerable God – an able-to-be-wounded God – who lives as one of us, change anything?

It’s the only thing that can. If God came to clean house in a world of sin and pain, well, we saw what happened last time in the Great Flood. If God truly wants “endless peace,” as Isaiah proclaims, that can only happen with our transformed hearts and minds, not with violence and power and destruction. God as divine warrior and judge and punisher only means lots more garments rolled in blood, lots more boots of tramping warriors. God cannot be allied with the powers of this world that use violence and killing to achieve their ends, that think only force can change things.

So the Son of God doesn’t destroy, he allows us to destroy him. He shows the power of love by letting go of his divine power, starting with this birth. In his dying and rising there is a new order in this world: that those who follow God’s path can change the world. When we follow the way of the cross we find God’s grace and love in our darkness, and we become part of the ending of violence and hate. We can’t take such tools and make any good use of them. We can only put ourselves in their way and by our own wounding, like Christ’s, begin to change things. Begin to be light ourselves.

When we listen to the angel’s words about this unassuming birth in an unexceptional place to unremarkable people, and we really start to claim those words as our hope, our belief, then what we do tonight, what we hear tonight, what we experience tonight can stay with us.

Well beyond the disappointments of the day after, well into the slog of January, well into the darkness of this world, we are different because of this truth, and so is the world.

So listen to the angel.

Don’t be afraid, the angel says – of darkness, of pain and suffering, of the inadequacies of life – don’t be afraid. Do not be afraid, because in us, in all God’s people, God is making a difference through this child. Freed from our fear, our expectations, our addiction to power, we are able to see how it might be that we can bear the same self-giving, sacrificial love into this world of darkness and pain and be God’s light and healing.

We’re not here to escape. We’re here to marvel at the news and seek God’s grace to let it sink into our hearts and minds so we not only believe this coming makes a difference, but actually live lives that are part of that difference.

We leave here tonight changed, like the shepherds. Like them, we leave to make known what has been told us about this child. When we do that, when we live that, then as it was long ago it will be again, and all who hear us, see us, meet us, will be amazed. And light will shine in the darkness.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Mary sings that God is turning the world upside down, looking for the lowly, the hungry, those in pain, to lift them up and bring life to them. That will mean loss for us, but the grace is that God also comes to us.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Fourth Sunday of Advent, year B texts: Luke 1:46b-55 (The Magnificat, the psalm for this day); 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Can we really sing this song?

“You have shown the strength of your arm and scattered the proud in their conceit. You have cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. You have filled the hungry with good things, and you have sent the rich away empty.”

We sang this. Mary sang this. Are we sure we want what we’re singing? This is Exodus language, “the strength of your arm.” That’s how God freed the Israelite slaves. This is end-of-Babylon language; God brought back the exiles with a “strong hand and an outstretched arm.”

We should be careful about singing this song. If the proud and conceited, the rich and mighty are going to be cast down, well, don’t look too far. We’re talking about ourselves.

Mary could sing this song.

Mary was hungry. She certainly was lowly. Pride and a sense of being mighty never crossed her mind. She sang of God’s revolution, that in her child to come God would turn the world upside down. This was good news to her.

Gabriel told her the wonder that her child would be the promised heir to David’s throne. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.” In Samuel today David is promised his house will last forever, there will always be a king in his line. So this lowly, hungry young woman on the bottom of society’s pile is to give birth to a new ruler of Israel.

Mary had good reason to sing this song.

But Mary didn’t know that God’s plan was very different than Gabriel and Nathan seemed to imply.

She didn’t know that God’s plan to have a Shepherd King had changed significantly since David’s day, that God would come and offer his life for the world as Shepherd. The fulfillment of the promise would not be in creating a new emperor, or overthrowing a government, replacing the proud with the lowly only to have the lowly become the new dominators and tyrants, the way the world does such things.

It would be by the Son of God dying for love of the world, ruling from a cross, and transforming those who would follow into agents for this new world.

Forty days after her son’s birth, Mary begins to hear this truth. Simeon tells her of the sword that will pierce her heart. Mary begins to learn this turning upside down was going to be very costly for the Son of God, her son, and for her.

Had she known, would she have asked the same thing: can I really sing this song?

And what of us? Will we sing it?

Mary’s song tells about the heart of Jesus’ coming: it’s the beginning of God’s revolution, where the elites are brought down and the lowly lifted up.

We should be careful what we ask for, what we sing. Glibly rejoicing in God’s overturning of the world order, even if subversively instead of with oppressive power, shows we don’t understand what that means to those of us on the top of the pile. Celebrating the cross of Jesus without understanding what it calls to us who follow Jesus, shows our blindness to God’s plan.

If we are not the lowly, the hungry, that means we are the others, the powerful, the mighty, the rich, the full. How will we meet God, if Magnificat is true? In fear, because we’re about to be scattered, cast down, sent away empty?

If we’re not prepared for how God has come into the world, we should be careful what we sing.

But we need this song: it says where God will be.

If we sing this song, we remember we can only meet God where God is.

God is at the kids’ table in the kitchen, not at the grownups table with the important people. God is on the floor with the dogs and the grandkids, not sitting neatly in a suit on the couch, because that’s where the playing can happen. God is there, and with any whom others discount as not fully as important as the rest. Such lives matter to God.

God is in the poorest places in this country, in this city, with those who have nothing, who must strategically plan their days and their weeks to find the right resources from this church and that church, this agency and that agency, stringing together food and shelter for their families. Some while working multiple jobs. Some unable to find jobs. God is there, because such lives matter to God.

God is with those who face discrimination and humiliation because of who they are born to be, who don’t recognize the same world some of us enjoy. With those who, even in this new era in which we find ourselves, still are cast out because of their orientation, because of the way they were made to be loving. God is with those who are judged not by anything they do or don’t do, by their good actions or their bad actions, but only by the color of their skin. God is there, because such lives matter to God.

God is with anyone who feels less than others, anyone who struggles with shame and guilt, anyone who deals with fear and anxiety, anyone who is chased by depression, anyone who can’t seem to do things right no matter how hard they try, anyone who seems to face bad luck at every turn, anyone who mourns. God is there, because such lives matter to God.

We sing this song because the heart of God is where we want to be and this is where the heart of God is.

This song teaches us much.

As we meet Jesus we see that the world’s way of revolution – flipping the roles, setting new people in a place of domination – is not how this song will work. Jesus doesn’t destroy the proud or keep the rich from eating. The proud are brought down and the lowly lifted up so all are equal before God. Every valley exalted, every hill made low, all are on the same level. The rich are moved away from the table so the hungry can come and eat, but the table has room for all. It’s a feast for the whole creation. There’s room enough for all, grace enough for all.

God identifies most deeply with the lowly, not just to lift them up, but to walk with them in the moving. The birth of this baby in humble surroundings is only the beginning of the Son of God’s place with the lowest and the neediest and the hungriest and the poorest, to move them into the grace of God. Following Jesus, we find, means we go there, too. We willingly participate in this sharing, this overturning.

We can sing this song because Jesus’ heart is that all are fed and whole and blessed. That could mean us, too.

When we sing this song, the light dawns on us that maybe we aren’t so high and mighty after all.

As we sing with Mary, we begin to recognize our own need and hunger, our own lack. For some of us it’s nothing like many people face every day. For many of us it’s more a spiritual hunger than a physical, more a spiritual poverty than a physical, more a spiritual lowliness than a physical. But it’s still a need.

Mary’s song teaches us that it’s OK to admit we’re lowly, needy. We never were that important to start with. Once we realize we’re in need, we’re on the right track. Those who have no need of a physician, Jesus says, aren’t necessarily healthy. They just don’t think they need a doctor.

All we need to have happen to find our place at the table, to find God at our side, is to recognize how desperately we need that. To set aside our pride, our sense of power and privilege, our need for material security.

We are the proud and mighty and full in many ways. God’s revolution means we will let go of a lot of things. We’re going to have to come down while bringing others up, so all can live and eat and thrive.

When we can sing that, we also find God’s deep love for us.

So let’s sing with Mary, let’s sing this song and help it come to reality. It’s a song of hope and promise for everyone who is brokenhearted, everyone who is brought down, everyone who needs the love and grace of God.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Some years ago, I was invited to Charla’s wedding. That day. At the hospital. Entering her room, I was overwhelmed by two powerful realities—Charla was within hours of dying. And God was present in ways I could not begin to explain. After that experience, a friend asked, “Why do you think you were there? What is God up to?”

Several years later, I still wonder. It was not the first time, or the last, that I have been nudged by those questions. Most of the time, I confess, my response is, “I have no idea. I’m just walking here.” Events like these call us to take notice. And friends ask the questions that draw our focus to where God is at work. We realize that our life, or our perception of our life, is about to change forever. Our vision is cracked open, expanded a bit, and we see that the picture is much larger than we thought. A little at a time, the picture comes into focus.
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Mary had one of those experiences when the angel came. One moment it was life as usual, the next she was trying to absorb the reality of being a mother, to one who would be called “Son of God,” who would inherit the throne of David. Mary’s understand-ing of herself and her life were forever altered. Suddenly, Mary was aware of how deeply connected she was, to God and the history of her people, in a way she hadn’t been before.

Mary adjusted remarkably quickly, (much more quickly than I do!) telling the angel, simply, to let it be. As I would do years later, Mary sought out a friend to help her begin to see her new reality a little more clearly. And, Mary continued to ponder throughout her life. When we experience those moments when life shifts unexpectedly, we are invited to ponder with her . . . “God, what are you up to?”

Fair Trade Craft Sale – One More Sunday
The Missions Committee will continue to host the fair trade sale for one more week. Purchase beautiful and unique fair trade items made by artisans in developing regions around the world. These items are available from SERRV, a nonprofit fair trade organization whose mission is to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide.

The handcrafted fair trade items will be available for purchase after both services on December 21 (cash and check only). See the attachment to view some of the items that will be for sale. Fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate from Equal Exchange will also be available. This is not a fund-raiser, just an opportunity to buy good products for a good cause.

Transitions Support Group
All are welcome to drop in and visit the Transitions Support Group to see if this is a place where you might find some solace and reassurance for the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

Please note the time and location for our next meeting. The next session meets Saturday, January 10, 9:00 am at the home of Richard & Grace Wiechman, 3120 E. Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis. It will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth. If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads
For their meeting on January 17, (postponed one week because of the Conference on Liturgy) they will read, The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. For the meeting on February 14, they will read, Wise Blood, by Flannery O’Connor.

The Book of Esther: Thursday Evening Bible Study Concludes
Vicar McLaughlin is leading a study on the Book of Esther, exploring the historical context and many issues raised in this book, including justice, violence, power and privilege, the role of women, the presence of God, and what it means to be called “for such a time as this.”

This study meets in the Chapel Lounge on Thursday evenings, beginning with a light supper at 6:00 pm.

This Bible study runs through this Thursday, December 18.

Annual Conference on Liturgy: “Common Ground: Hearing the Word Through the Lectionary”Friday–Saturday, January 9-10, 2015
Each Sunday at Eucharist, Christians of many different traditions gather to be fed by Word and Sacrament and share the same readings from Scripture. In the Revised Common Lectionary there is a visible sign of the unity of the Church for those who know they encounter the same Word of God each week with their sisters and brothers in many places.

This year at Mount Olive’s annual Conference on Liturgy we will explore the richness of this shared, “common” tradition, consider the ways that the use of a common lectionary can bless the life of the parish, and ask questions of its place in the present and future life of the churches who use it.

The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Gail Ramshaw; workshop presenters will be Pastor Joseph Crippen, The Rev. John Setterlund, and Dr. Paul Westermeyer.

Registration fee for Mount Olive members is $35/person.

Christmas Wish Tree
There are needs and wishes on the tree outside the West assembly room (near the coat room) from two families who hope to have a Merry Christmas this year. If you are able, please take an ornament and bring back the wish it names by this Sunday, December 21. These gifts can be put in the box outside the upstairs kitchen.

Thank you!

- Anna Kingman

La Natividad
This is a wonderful neighborhood participation opportunity - to witness the nativity story come alive in our own neighborhood! In the Heart of the Beast Theater, along with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, will present LA NATIVIDAD - a bilingual telling of the Christmas story. Audience members move with the puppet actors and process with Maria and Jose as they seek shelter. The show moves from Lake Street to St. Paul's for the Nativity and celebration with music and food.

This event continues on December 18, 19, 20, 21, at 6:30 pm, starting at In the Heart of the Beast Theater (1500 E. Lake St.). Individual and group tickets are available online at hobt.org.

Flyers with additional information are available at church.

Thanks to the Mount Olive Foundation!
After over 25 years of regular use, the ovens and range in the Undercroft kitchen have been retired.

This past week the new South Bend natural gas range and oven as well as the new South Bend double convection gas ovens were delivered to Mount Olive.

The Mount Olive Foundation provided funds to purchase the appliances.

Thanks also to Gail Nielsen, Carla Manuel, Mark Pipkorn, Bern Youngblood, Aric Sorenson, Tim Pipkorn, Ted Thompson, Sexton William Pratley, and Andrew Andersen for their work on the installation project.

Stop and take a look at them next time you are in the Undercroft!

Alternative Gift Giving
Are you looking for something different to do this year for Christmas gifts? Take part in a growing tradition by giving gifts that help those in need.

The Missions Committee is promoting the idea of alternative gift giving this Christmas. For example, in honor of a loved one you can buy a month of food for a child orphaned by AIDS through ELCA Good Gifts. We have catalogues from different charitable organizations that you can use or you can order from the organizations’ websites. Some of these organizations are:

They’re Here!
Many have been looking for the current edition of the Christ In Our Home devotion booklet. A quick call to Augsburg revealed that there were some problems with this issue at the printer, and delivery was delayed.

They have now arrived and are in the narthex for those who wish to pick one up.

Planning a Reception?
Thanks to Gail Nielsen and Carla Manuel for recruiting crews to cook and serve for one funeral, one wedding, a new member brunch, and the Advent luncheon for seniors within recent months.

If you would like assistance in planning a reception at Mount Olive, contact Gail at 612-825-9326 or via email to her at gmninmpls@hotmail.com.

Mount Olive History Books
Copies of Mount Olive’s 100th anniversary history book, The Faith of Our Forebears, are out and available at church for those who would like one.

If you don’t have a copy (or even if you do!), please help yourself!

Movin’ On Up!
With the creation of an additional office on Mount Olive’s main level, the Neighborhood Ministries office has moved upstairs!

Anna Kingman’s office is now next to Pastor Crippen’s office, and Vicar Meagan’s office is in the newly created office across the hall from Cantor Cherwien’s office.

Staff Christmas Gifts
The six people who work at Mount Olive serve us and God in many and exciting ways. At a recent congregational meeting I stated that it feels as though Mount Olive is "humming on all cylinders" right now, and that is due in large part to our capable and faithful Pastor Joseph, Vicar Meagan, Cantor David, Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator Anna, Administra-tive Assistant Cha and Sexton William. Each year we provide a Christmas gift for them, and we want to remind you of that opportunity again. Please submit your monetary gifts to the church office or in the offering plate. Checks should have "Staff Christmas Gift" noted on the memo line. We have been able to be very generous in the past, and I thank you in advance for your gifts this year.

- Lora Dundek, Vestry President

End of Life Planning
The Congregational Care group will sponsor a conversation at Mount Olive about end-of-life planning on Sunday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 7.

Additional information about this event will be shared in The Olive Branch after Christmas.

Mount Olive Christmas Cards
There are still some of the Mount Olive Christmas cards available for sale this year. The cards cost $2.50 each if you buy 5 or less. If you buy 6 or more they are $1.75 each. The cards are available in the church office and will be available Sunday mornings. Please contact Paul Nixdorf or Andrew Andersen with any questions.

Christmas Carry-In Breakfast

All are invited to come to Christmas Day Eucharist an hour early for a Christmas breakfast together, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bring a favorite breakfast or brunch dish to pass.

Help with the Greens – Up and Down!
Many hands make light work, and there are several opportunities for people to help decorate the nave and chancel for our Christmas celebrations at Mount Olive. This Sunday, Dec. 21, after second liturgy, is the hanging of the greens, where all wreaths and roping are placed. Any who wish to help, just come to the nave after coffee time.

Also, and probably most important given it’s more easily forgotten, the taking down of the greens and trees will happen on Wednesday, Jan. 7, beginning at 8:30 a.m. In particular, this last task requires a lot of hands, so having a good group come will make the work much easier.

House Sitter / Pet Sitter
Do you need a house sitter or pet sitter while you are on vacation or away on extended business? Are you aware of someone who needs a caretaker for their home while on sabbatical?

If so, contact Andrew Andersen at 763-607-1689 or by email to andrewstpaul@gmail.com for more info. The person who is available for this is active in the Mount Olive community. He does not drive so possible engagements must be on or near to a bus or light rail line in Minneapolis or St. Paul.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

The Spirit of the LORD is upon us, because God has anointed us to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners. This is our job now.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Third Sunday of Advent, year B texts: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 (with references to Luke 4)

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

“The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me.

God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.”

That’s it. That’s the job description. When Jesus began his ministry, Luke says he read these verses and proclaimed they were fulfilled in him. Since the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost, Luke declares the Church itself is now anointed into this calling.

Isaiah’s beautiful words become real when God’s people take them to heart as our calling, our life. We can’t hear this good news and live as if it wasn’t truly meant to happen.

Because the world is full of oppressed people. Full of brokenhearted people. Full of people who are bound up and captive. Full of prisoners, especially in our country. In the midst of the beauty of this prophetic word is real ugliness. Just as the proclamation of the Good News of God in Jesus comes into a world of real ugliness that we read and hear and see around us all the time.

The thing is, Isaiah believed God was doing something about it. The thing is, John the baptizer believed God was doing something about it. The thing is, in Christ Jesus our Lord we live and breathe declaring God is doing something about it. What that is, we need to understand.

Isaiah speaks of devastation because he speaks into devastation.

The exiles of Judah joyfully returned to their homeland to find it a wasteland: Jerusalem destroyed, homes and villages burned, the Temple a ruin, the holy things taken away. They came home to find their home a wreck.

To them, Isaiah declares: God brings you comfort in your mourning, gladness instead of grief. God is restoring the covenant with Israel, and will help you rebuild your ruins, repair your devastations. Joy will come, like to a bride and groom dressing for their wedding day.

This happened. Israel was rebuilt, the people were able to live and flourish.

Jesus appropriates this promise onto his own ministry. The healing of devastation, pain, suffering, the promise of the LORD’s favor, that, Jesus says, is what he is about.

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, he said, because God has anointed me to this.

John’s Gospel introduces Jesus as the Light who comes into the darkness of this world revealing the heart of God.

Like the promise to the exiles, standing in the bricks and dust and garbage of a ruined homeland, the coming of the Son of God is light in utter darkness.

This is Good News, we say. Because the world is full of oppressed people. Full of brokenhearted people. Full of people who are bound up and captive. Full of prisoners, especially in our country. We live in darkness and fear, much of which we have created. We long for the Light of God to shine hope.

John the baptizer today tells us the Light is here, the one sent from God has come into this world. Everything is going to change.

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Christ Jesus, because God has anointed him, and we rejoice.

But the Evangelist points out an important question of the Baptizer: if Christ is the light, who is John?

Is he the Messiah? No. The prophet who was promised to come, one like Moses? No. Elijah himself? No. Then who? I’m the one preparing the way for this coming of God, he says.

John the baptizer wasn’t the light of God himself. He was the witness to the light. Like the moon to the sun, John reflected the Light of Christ into the world so others could see it.

We’re different from John, though. We are in fact anointed just like our Lord Christ. We are anointed to carry Christ’s mission into the world. Our baptism proclaims this, our calling from our Lord declares this, our new life in his death and resurrection reveals this. Like John, we are not “the” Messiah, “the” prophet, but we are messiahs (anointed ones), prophets of God with small letters, reflecting God’s light. Isaiah’s call is our work now, if we take our Lord seriously.

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon us, because God has anointed us. Really.

We begin our calling as anointed ones by our laughter into the darkness.

Knowing the Lord has come to make all things new, our mouths are filled with laughter and shouts of joy, as we sang. This is God’s will for us, Paul says: that our life be one of rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances.

This is our reflected light: we can hold the joy of God’s healing and grace in a world of pain and grief, holding people, helping people, walking with people, always filled with inner joy because we know God is working in us and in many for life.

This is our reflected light: we can pray without ceasing, living our lives constantly aware of the presence of God in our midst so our very thoughts are prayer, our actions and grace offerings of praise, and we both see God’s presence in this world where others cannot, and live as signs of God’s presence ourselves.

This is our reflected light: we give thanks in all circumstances, thanks that God has sent us to make a difference, thanks that God has not abandoned this world to our destruction but come into it to bring healing, thanks that there is still time for us to do something, thanks that we do not do this alone but with the power and strength of the crucified and risen God.

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon us, because God has anointed us. This is God’s will for us.

This life of joy, prayer, and thanks becomes the grounding for our entering Isaiah’s vision fully.

Jesus took seriously that he would bring good news to the oppressed, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to those captive and freedom to those in prison. He was anointed for that. He did this.

What would happen if we also took our baptismal anointing seriously and did just those things?

What good news could we bring to the oppressed? Could we be a part of the healing of this nation, this world, finding our own places in the task to make this a society of justice for all, of equality and fairness? Could we begin to heal the ancient and open wounds that our own sin has created, that subjugate people even in this country based on their skin color, or their economic status, or their education? How might we, anointed ones of God, feel such wounds ourselves, like our Lord, and begin to repair such ruins?

What binding of the brokenhearted could we do? Could we find roles for each of us to participate in the healing of a world of pain, where so many have caused or received so much pain that cycles of violence and killing and hatred lead to endless war, endless crime, endless abuse? Could we be grace to the brokenhearted that stops the revenge and retaliation broken hearts so want? Could we work to make this a culture of peace and wholeness instead of selfishness and violence? How might we, anointed ones of God, take this pain on ourselves, like our Lord, and begin to build up such foundations from the ashes?

What freedom can we proclaim to those who are captive to systems beyond their control, what liberty can we proclaim to those imprisoned and thrown away? Our society raises whole groups of people who never see the possibility of a way out of their situation, trapped in a system that crushes, who despair to find hope and real life. Our society imprisons more people by far than any other so-called civilized society on earth. Could we begin to work on these? Support leaders who seek to dismantle unjust systems, who seek to find ways to heal society rather than build bigger walls and stronger prisons? Could we be a part of God’s healing here? How might we, anointed ones of God, enter such captivity ourselves, like our Lord, and begin to raise up hope out of these devastations?

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon us, because God has anointed us. This is what God has called us to do.

“Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Lord God,” we pray, “that anointed by your Spirit we may testify to your light.” [1]

The Spirit of the LORD God is upon us, because God has anointed us. God has sent us to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners. That’s it. That’s the job description. We most certainly need God to stir up our wills to do this, to reflect the Light of God that has come into the world.

But the Spirit of the LORD God is upon us, that is our hope. We do not do this alone. We do this with each other and all others so anointed. We do this with the Spirit of the risen Christ who has anointed us to this. So we are not afraid. For the light has come, and we are sent to shine that light into this world so all can see.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

These days we often hear “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” There is much troubling about religious institutions of all kinds. Many people today long for a spirituality, something of the heart and soul, that connects to a greater reality, and shy away from a religion, a human construct that can seem to work against true spirituality.

There’s a lot we could say about this, but as we are in the middle of the season of Advent, there is something Advent could teach about “religion.” The word comes from the Latin, and the Romans used the term as we do, in the same contexts. Its roots are the interesting thing. Religion is from “religio.” “Ligio” gave us “ligament;” it’s a word of connection, linkage. Ligaments keep muscles and bones joined and working together. Re-ligio, religion, is in its deepest sense “reconnecting,” “relinking” with God.

Religion can and has been corrupted by human beings of nearly every culture and faith to become a system which tries to control the divine, or control people, or any number of things which even border on evil.

But what if we claim that deeper root? One of Advent’s central hopes is that God has come, is coming, and will continue to come and be with us. What if we thought of religion as our life of connection to God’s coming? Our prayer, our liturgy, our song, our proclamation of God’s Word all serve to “re-ligament” us to God’s coming into this world and our lives.

When we have our ligaments connecting us to God supple and in good repair, when we have “religion,” we find ourselves more deeply open to the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives and the world. That’s a spirituality worth praying for. This Advent let us then also pray for “re-ligamenting,” true religion that connects us with the Triune God and each other in the saving life God is bringing to this world.

There will be no Adult Forum this Sunday, Dec. 14.
All are invited to attend the St. Lucia Scandinavian Brunch.

Fair Trade Craft Sale

The Missions Committee will continue to host the fair trade gift sale. New items have been ordered for the next two weeks. Purchase beautiful and unique fair trade items made by artisans in developing regions around the world. These items are available from SERRV, a nonprofit fair trade organization whose mission is to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide.

The handcrafted fair trade items will be available for purchase after both services on December 14 and 21 (cash and check only). See the attachment/insert to view some of the items that will be for sale. Fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate from Equal Exchange will also be available. This is not a fund-raiser, just an opportunity to buy good products for a good cause.

Transitions Support Group

All are welcome to drop in and visit the Transitions Support Group to see if this is a place where you might find some solace and reassurance for the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

Please note the time and location for our next meeting. The next session meets Saturday, January 10, 9:00 am at the home of Richard & Grace Wiechman, 3120 E. Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis. It will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth. If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

For their meeting on December 13, the Book Discussion group will read Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. For the meeting on January 17, (postponed one week because of the Conference on Liturgy) they will read, The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield.

The Book of Esther: Thursday Evening Bible Study Continues

Vicar McLaughlin is leading a study on the Book of Esther, exploring the historical context and many issues raised in this book, including justice, violence, power and privilege, the role of women, the presence of God, and what it means to be called “for such a time as this.”

This study meets in the Chapel Lounge on Thursday evenings, beginning with a light supper at 6:00 pm.

This Bible study runs through next Wednesday, December 18.

Annual Conference on Liturgy: “Common Ground: Hearing the Word Through the Lectionary”Friday–Saturday, January 9-10, 2015
Each Sunday at Eucharist, Christians of many different traditions gather to be fed by Word and Sacrament and share the same readings from Scripture. In the Revised Common Lectionary there is a visible sign of the unity of the Church for those who know they encounter the same Word of God each week with their sisters and brothers in many places.

This year at Mount Olive’s annual Conference on Liturgy we will explore the richness of this shared, “common” tradition, consider the ways that the use of a common lectionary can bless the life of the parish, and ask questions of its place in the present and future life of the churches who use it.

The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Gail Ramshaw; workshop presenters will be Pastor Joseph Crippen, The Rev. John Setterlund, and Dr. Paul Westermeyer.

Registration fee for Mount Olive members is $35/person.

Christmas Wish Tree
There are needs and wishes on the tree outside the West assembly room (near the coat room) from two families who hope to have a Merry Christmas this year. If you are able, please take an ornament and bring back the wish it names by Dec. 21. These gifts can be put in the box outside the upstairs kitchen.

Thank you - Anna Kingman

Evening PrayerWednesdays in Advent7:00 p.m.

La Natividad
This is a wonderful neighborhood participation opportunity - to witness the nativity story come alive in our own neighborhood! In the Heart of the Beast Theater, along with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, will present LA NATIVIDAD - a bilingual telling of the Christmas story. Audience members move with the puppet actors and process with Maria and Jose as they seek shelter. The show moves from Lake Street to St. Paul's for the Nativity and celebration with music and food.

This event takes place December 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, at 6:30pm, starting at Heart of the Beast theater (1500 E. Lake St.). Individual and group tickets are available online at hobt.org.

Flyers with additional information are available at church.

Home Care Holiday Kits for Our Savior’s Housing
Help brighten the holidays and ease the budget of a resident of the Our Saviour's Housing program as they gain stability and a permanent place of their own off the streets. Please create and bring your 'welcome home' gift baskets to church this week or by Sunday Dec. 14th. Suggestions for kits include: glass cleaner, toilet cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, disinfectant wipes, micro-fiber cloths, laundry soap, sponges, fabric softener, dish soap, bleach, bathroom tissue, and paper towels.

If you can help assemble baskets and get them to Our Saviour's on Sunday, please meet Anna Kingman by the West Assembly room around 12:15pm. Thank you!

- Anna KingmanCoordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry

Alternative Gift Giving
Are you looking for something different to do this year for Christmas gifts? Take part in a growing tradition by giving gifts that help those in need.

The Missions Committee is promoting the idea of alternative gift giving this Christmas. For example, in honor of a loved one you can buy a month of food for a child orphaned by AIDS through ELCA Good Gifts. We have catalogues from different charitable organizations that you can use or you can order from the organizations’ websites. Some of these organizations are:

Weekly Centering Prayer on Advent Wednesdays
Centering prayer, a silent acknowledging of the presence of the Divine, is held each Wednesday evening in Advent at 6:15 p.m. in the library. Format will begin with a short reading from the Psalms, followed by 20 minutes of silence. We will end with a few moments to come together for a closing prayer.

New to the process? Look for brochures in the rack by the glass display case to get a more detailed description.
Plan on joining us on Wednesday evenings during Advent for Centering Prayer, December 3, 10, and 17.

Seniors Advent Luncheon

Many thanks to all who helped to make this year’s Seniors Advent Luncheon a wonderful event again this year!

It was a great afternoon of dining, singing, and fellowship for all who attended. Thanks to Anna Kingman for sharing photos of this event, they are attached/enclosed with this issue of The Olive Branch.

National Lutheran Choir Christmas Festival Concerts This Weekend:"The Hopes and Fears of All the Years"

Immerse yourself in the beauty and majesty of the Basilica of Saint Mary for the National Lutheran Choir’s signature Christmas Festival Concert. During this busy season of parties, shopping and rushing around, take time to reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas through sacred song, poetry and readings.

Tickets: $28 Adult, $25 Senior, $10 Student, age 17 and under FREE. For tickets or more information call (888) 747-4589, or visit www.nlca.com.

Mount Olive Christmas Cards
There are still some of the Mount Olive Christmas cards available for sale this year. The cards cost $2.50 each if you buy 5 or less. If you buy 6 or more they are $1.75 each. The cards are available in the church office and will be available Sunday mornings. Please contact Paul Nixdorf or Andrew Andersen with any questions.

Christmas Carry-In Breakfast
All are invited to come to Christmas Day Eucharist an hour early for a Christmas breakfast together, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Bring a favorite breakfast or brunch dish to pass.

Help with the Greens – Up and Down!
Many hands make light work, and there are several opportunities for people to help decorate the nave and chancel for our Christmas celebrations at Mount Olive. On Sunday, Dec. 21, after second liturgy, is the hanging of the greens, where all wreaths and roping are placed. Any who wish to help, just come to the nave after coffee time.

Also, and probably most important given it’s more easily forgotten, the taking down of the greens and trees will happen on Wednesday, Jan. 7, beginning at 8:30 a.m. In particular, this last task requires a lot of hands, so having a good group come will make the work much easier.

Staff Christmas Gifts
The six people who work at Mount Olive serve us and God in many and exciting ways. At a recent congregational meeting I stated that it feels as though Mount Olive is "humming on all cylinders" right now, and that is due in large part to our capable and faithful Pastor Joseph, Vicar Meagan, Cantor David, Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator Anna, Administra-tive Assistant Cha and Sexton William. Each year we provide a Christmas gift for them, and we want to remind you of that opportunity again. Please submit your monetary gifts to the church office or in the offering plate. Checks should have "Staff Christmas Gift" noted on the memo line. We have been able to be very generous in the past, and I thank you in advance for your gifts this year.

- Lora Dundek, Vestry President

Messiah SingSunday, Dec. 14 – 6:30 pm

Join the Minnesota Chorale, under the direction of Kathy Romey, organist Lynn Trapp, and professional soloists in singing G.F. Handel’s much-loved oratorio, Messiah.
Bring your own score (or borrow one or buy one at the event) and come to sing a long or just to listen and enjoy. The event will be held at St. Olaf Catholic Church (215 S. 8th St. in Minneapolis). Free parking is available in the Energy Ramp at 9th St. & 3rd Ave.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

It is the Triune God who truly practices patient Advent waiting, longing for us and all God’s children to repent, turn around, and begin the healing and restoring of this world we have broken. This is our hope and our call.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Second Sunday of Advent, year B texts: 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Isaiah 40:1-11

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

That’s some vision of a restored world in Psalm 85. I can’t wait to see it.

We sang that the salvation of God is very near, salvation that looks like this: righteousness and peace kiss each other. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet together. Considering the divisions that fracture our society, the injustices and humiliations that some in our country daily endure, the self-centeredness and fear that drive the actions and thoughts of so many in our nation, such a vision as this would be a marvel to see. Think what the rest of the world could do with it.

God’s steadfast love meets with our faithful service to God and each other? All people would surely find a better life, a safer world. God’s righteousness embraces our work for shalom – peace, wholeness, justice? We would surely see a transformed world. If Advent is a time to practice waiting for the coming of God, this vision is what such coming might be in reality.

What if we’ve got this waiting backwards, though? This season we sing of the God for whom we wait, as if Advent teaches us to wait for God to make Psalm 85 a reality. Peter today suggests otherwise.

The question is whose responsibility is this broken world?

We seem to spend a lot of energy placing this in God’s job description. The prophets’ dreams speak of God coming to restore all. The Church has always rested hope on the promise of God’s new creation and life for the world, beginning in Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

Yet Peter today speaks of the patience of God, the waiting of God, not our waiting. Encouraging people who were worried that God was letting the problems of the world pile up and not coming to heal all, Peter says the Lord isn’t slow about his promise. God’s just being patient, hoping that all will come to repentance.

Isn’t that interesting? John the baptizer called people to repentance, to a turning around. To prepare themselves for the way of the Christ by walking in a different direction than the one they were going. So if God is patiently waiting for all to repent, so none perish, Peter is saying our repentance is the way God’s restoration will happen.

That is, the healing of the nations, the blessing of the cursed, the enriching of the barren wastes is not something God is going to do for us. God, in fact, is the one who waits for us to turn into this way, repent, find the path. The way to the salvation of Psalm 85 is through God’s children.

This is an entirely different Advent, to consider the patient waiting of the Triune God.

To see the pain and suffering of this world and instead of sitting back and praying that God restore the creation, rather to turn our lives around from the ways we contribute to the destruction. To turn around to find the path of Christ, the path of the cross, already announced at this beginning of Mark’s Gospel.

What would it mean if Advent became a season where we sang of God’s waiting for us to be about the healing of this world? If we heard John’s call to repent not as some minor course correction – stop doing a sin or two, whatever you can come up with – but as a drastic road altering project the likes of which Isaiah proclaims?

This is ours to do: look at Isaiah. The call to make a new path, a safe road in the wilderness of the world is to us, not to God. God’s doing plenty: God will come to us, take us up in loving arms like a shepherd, feed us like a mother sheep.

But we’re the workers here, the ones to fix the mess this world’s in. Because we’re the ones who made it.

It’s our sin of over 300 years in this country against entire races of people that has given birth to the injustice and sickness of racism that still infests our courts, our laws, our police forces, our churches, our public squares. That’s our doing.

It’s our sin of greed and capitalism of 300 years that has given birth to greater and greater inequality of wealth and a disgusting reality that people can work two full-time jobs and still not earn enough in this so-called land of opportunity to feed their families. That’s our doing.

It’s our sin of nearly 400 years in this country of rabid individualism and obsession with personal violence that has given birth to murder rates and gun insanity that no other civilized culture on this planet will tolerate but that we absolutely refuse to address, while week after week our children are shot, our sisters and brothers are abused and killed, and our police feel threatened every time they go out into the streets. That’s our doing.

If this world is a wilderness, an unsafe place, we needn’t look far to find who has made it so. And God patiently waits for us to admit it and turn around, change our direction. So life can begin to be restored.

God’s patience, however, is at great cost.

That’s what patience means. Our word for patience, like the Greeks and the Romans and other cultures, is related to the word for suffering. When we speak of patience, for thousands of years of human language, we speak of waiting that involves suffering.

This is God’s patience: to suffer as we destroy this world and wait for us to change rather than wipe us out. God made a good world, where righteousness and peace embraced, where God’s steadfast love was everywhere. But we refused to live in love with God, neighbor, and creation, and made it as it now is.

Because God wants us to freely choose such life, God is also committed to our solving this mess. God will inspire, empower, command, even model such a way, such a path, in person through Christ the Son of God. God’s love we see on the cross forgives us when we fail, we know this.

But God will not do this all for us. Think of what kind of suffering that puts the Triune God through. To see all the hatred and violence and injustice and destruction we do to each other and this creation, and know we could change it all but won’t. To hear us pray for dramatic rescue from God while refusing to do anything ourselves. It must make God sick at heart.

This waiting costs God. Costs the world, while we go our way of destruction. The longer it takes for us all to repent, the greater the pain of the world, the greater the pain of God.

We say we can’t wait to see this healing. God can and does wait. So what shall we do?

Peter says we could consider what sort of people we want to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness. We could repent, turn around, John says. We could start making a clean path in the wastelands we’ve created, Isaiah says, so God’s healing can spread.

With the ills and evils that plague our society, it seems impossible any of us could find any new direction that would heal. But we have each other, this gift of Christ. We talk to each other, help each other listen better to the world and walk the path of the cross. We support each other in changes – big and small – we begin to start making in each of our lives, as we begin to turn: How we vote. How we see the world. How we treat others. How we spend our money. How we deal with violence. What we talk about and care about.

We say the problems are too great, we can’t do anything. Meanwhile, God patiently, sufferingly, waits for us to stop saying that.

Today our Prayer of the Day didn’t ask God to stir up power and come. We asked God to stir up our hearts to prepare the way of Christ in the world. That’s the Advent prayer we need.

The Lord’s patience is so that none will perish, all will live.

This is the great grace, why we regard the patience of the Lord as our salvation. The great heart of the Triune God suffers and longs even more than we do for the healing of all things, hopes beyond hope that we, and all God’s children, will see this path and turn into it. Will build new bridges and paths in the wilderness so others can see and find hope and light. Will turn our lives around so all the world’s children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will live in a better world than we do.

In God’s Advent waiting we find our call to love and life and service, and the world finds hope in us, sees the healing of God come to reality through us.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Advent People
For me and a small group of Advent-observing friends, Advent used to be a time of scorn. We had much to say about “the world” which didn’t share our Advent observation, jumping straight to Christmas with its commercialism and creating a lust for more “things”. We often regarded ours as a dark time – and we longed for Christ to stomp down here, coming back to fix things once and for all.
Now I think of that in a different way: Christ does come back ... on an ongoing basis. Do I notice and respond to that?

As I get older, I’ve been re-thinking this world-evaluation thing, too. Is it really a terrible world? (no). Is the world perfect? (no). Are we humans really worthy of the gift of hope and/or good? (yes). I under-stand Christ to be in a lot more than I used to. And at the end of the day (so to speak…) is Christ with me? Has Christ been born in me again? (yes). The whole unconditional sense of grace – what does that mean as we regard others – including “the world” and “commercial-ism”?

Two acquaintances we know are going through pregnancy. People who have gone through this can develop a new understanding of Advent. Focus changes. Not on how horrible everything is, but the excitement and hope of the new life growing inside the woman’s womb. The possibili-ties! Parents do what they can to prepare for this life, to do whatever is possible to help that life be its fullest-potential in body and soul.

For me now, this is Advent: Christ growing inside us, creating a new focus for our outlook. Sure, there are terrible things in the world. I wish commercialism didn’t have such a grasp on our hopes and dreams. But we can adjust our thinking and find peace amidst it all. In these dark days (literally here in the Northern Hemisphere), there is the glow of light and warmth IN us that no one can take away.
And the commercialism and jumping the gun on Christmas celebrations? Christ may be in that too. It doesn’t bother me anymore. It doesn’t take away my Advent observation. I still appreciate our lectionary’s trajectory. I appreciate Wednesday Vespers as a way of removal from the attempts to re-shape our observation. Yet, I can now allow myself to also enjoy what so many others do: the lights, the music, the smell of evergreen, the generosity, the basic sense of good-will and genuine
cheer!

Nothing can take away that Advent-life growing in all of us -- that daily-new-life born in us. Do we hear its heart-beat?

This Sunday’s Adult Forum - December 7:
“Poetic Exclamations in the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel of Luke,” presented by Professor Earl Schwartz of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Fair Trade Craft Sale

The Missions Committee is hosting a fair trade sale. Purchase beautiful and unique fair trade items made by artisans in developing regions around the world. These items are available from SERRV, a nonprofit fair trade organization whose mission is to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. See the attachment for one of our own member’s experience with how proceeds from SERRV sales helped people in Haiti.

The handcrafted fair trade items will be available for purchase after both liturgies on December 7, 14, and 21 (cash and check only). See the attachment/insert to view some of the items that will be for sale. Fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate from Equal Exchange will also be available. This is not a fund-raiser, just an opportunity to buy good products for a good cause.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads
For their meeting on December 13, the Book Discussion group will read Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. For the meeting on January 17, (postponed one week because of the Conference on Liturgy) they will read, The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield.

The Book of Esther: Thursday Evening Bible Study Continues
Vicar McLaughlin is currently leading a study on the Book of Esther, exploring the historical context and many issues raised in this book, including justice, violence, power and privilege, the role of women, the presence of God, and what it means to be called “for such a time as this.”

This study meets in the Chapel Lounge on Thursday evenings, beginning with a light supper at 6:00 pm.

This Bible study runs through December 18.

Annual Conference on Liturgy: “Common Ground: Hearing the Word Through the Lectionary”Friday–Saturday, January 9-10, 2015

Each Sunday at Eucharist, Christians of many different traditions gather to be fed by Word and Sacrament and share the same readings from Scripture. In the Revised Common Lectionary there is a visible sign of the unity of the Church for those who know they encounter the same Word of God each week with their sisters and brothers in many places.

This year at Mount Olive’s annual Conference on Liturgy we will explore the richness of this shared, “common” tradition, consider the ways that the use of a common lectionary can bless the life of the parish, and ask questions of its place in the present and future life of the churches who use it.
The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Gail Ramshaw; workshop presenters will be Pastor Joseph Crippen, The Rev. John Setterlund, and Dr. Paul Westermeyer.

Registration fee for Mount Olive members is $35/person.

Alternative Gift Giving
Are you looking for something different to do this year for Christmas gifts? Take part in a growing tradition by giving gifts that help those in need.

The Missions Committee is promoting the idea of alternative gift giving this Christmas. For example, in honor of a loved one you can buy a month of food for a child orphaned by AIDS through ELCA Good Gifts. We have catalogues from different charitable organizations that you can use or you can order from the organizations’ websites. Some of these organizations are:

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
www.elca.org/goodgifts

Lutheran World Relief
http://lwrgifts.org/

Heifer Project International
http://www.heifer.org

Common Hope http://commonhopecatalog.myshopify.com/

Bethania Kids
http://bethaniakids.org/creative-giving-catalog/

Thanksgiving Thanks-Giving
Thank you to all who donated and to all who helped transport our food donations to their recipients for Thanksgiving. We received over $2,000 to share between CES and Sabathani - that's $34,000 worth of food and care for our neighborhood! I hope you see that blessing overflowing in each day and each face on your path.

-Anna Kingman

La Natividad
Here is a wonderful neighborhood participation opportunity to witness the nativity story come alive in our own neighborhood! In the Heart of the Beast Theater, along with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, will present LA NATIVIDAD - a bilingual telling of the Christmas story. Audience members move with the puppet actors and process with Maria and Jose as they seek shelter. The show moves from Lake Street to St. Paul's for the Nativity and celebration with music and food.
This event takes place December 11,13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, at 6:30 pm, starting at In the Heart of the Beast theater (1500 E. Lake Street).

Individual and group tickets are available online at hobt.org.
Flyers with additional information are available at church.

Evening PrayerWednesdays in AdventDecember 3, 10, and 177:00 p.m.

Pledges, Please
Thanks to all who have turned in pledges. Especially because we’re facing 2015 expenditures up some 7%, at our Vestry meeting Monday, December 8—last of the calendar year—I want to report where pledges stand now compared with those a year ago. If you’ve been intending to turn in your card but haven’t quite gotten to it you’re, well, not alone. You can e-mail your pledge to Cha Posz at the church office (welcome@mountolivechurch.org). Indicate the dollar amount, whether it’s per year/month/week or whatever, and name or names (address and phone needed only if they’re different from current Mount Olive directory). Or, this Sunday put your completed pledge card in the box near the coatroom or in the Stewardship box in the office.

Our 2015 “budget” is shorthand for the mission and ministry we do together, and it requires some collective stretching, whether we’re pledgers or nonpledgers. Thanks! —Donn McLellan, Director of Stewardship

Weekly Centering Prayer on Advent Wednesdays
Centering prayer, a silent acknowledging of the presence of the Divine, is held each Wednesday evening in Advent at 6:15 p.m. in the library. Led by Mount Olive members, the format will begin with a short reading from the Psalms, followed by 20 minutes of silence. At the end there will be a few moments to come together for a closing prayer.

New to the process? Look for brochures in the rack by the glass display case to get a more detailed description.

Plan on coming on Wednesday evenings during Advent for Centering Prayer, December 3, 10, and 17.

National Lutheran Choir Christmas Festival Concerts:"The Hopes and Fears of All the Years"

Immerse yourself in the beauty and majesty of the Basilica of Saint Mary for the National Lutheran Choir’s signature Christmas Festival Concert. During this busy season of parties, shopping and rushing around, take time to reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas through sacred song, poetry and readings.

Tickets: $28 Adult, $25 Senior, $10 Student, age 17 and under FREE. For tickets or more information call (888) 747-4589, or visit www.nlca.com.

Mount Olive Christmas Cards
There are still some of the Mount Olive Christmas cards available for sale this year. The cards cost $2.50 each if you buy 5 or less. If you buy 6 or more they are $1.75 each. The cards are available in the church office and will be available Sunday mornings. Please contact Paul Nixdorf or Andrew Andersen with any questions.

Pray for Nigeria
Weekly we pray for Naomi and the other kidnapped girls in Nigeria. The ELCA is working closely with the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) in this effort. This week the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria is holding its General Church Assembly in Yola. Some 200 members and leaders will gather in the Cathedral Church in Yola in the midst of killings and church burnings. We are asked to these support faithful followers of Christ with our prayers.

In addition to your private prayers and prayers of the church at Mount Olive, you are invited to join in a Nigeria Prayer Vigil this Sunday, December 7th at Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church, 5011 31st Ave S. in Minneapolis at 5:00 p.m.

- Global Mission Committee

Help with the Greens – Up and Down!
Many hands make light work, and there are several opportunities for people to help decorate the nave and chancel for our Christmas celebrations at Mount Olive. On Sunday, Dec. 21, after second liturgy, is the hanging of the greens, where all wreaths and roping are placed. Any who wish to help, just come to the nave after coffee time.

Also, and probably most important given it’s more easily forgotten, the taking down of the greens and trees will happen on Wednesday, Jan. 7, beginning at 8:30 a.m. In particular, this last task requires a lot of hands, so having a good group come will make the work much easier.

Staff Christmas Gifts
The six people who work at Mount Olive serve us and God in many and exciting ways. At a recent congregational meeting I stated that it feels as though Mount Olive is "humming on all cylinders" right now, and that is due in large part to our capable and faithful Pastor Joseph, Vicar Meagan, Cantor David, Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator Anna, Administrative Assistant Cha and Sexton William. Every year we provide a special Christmas gift for them, and we want to remind you of that opportunity again. Please submit your monetary gifts to the church office or in the offering plate. Checks should have "Staff Christmas Gift" noted on the memo line. The congregation has been very generous in the past, and I thank you in advance for your gifts this year.

- Lora Dundek, Vestry President

A Note of Thanks
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your prayers, cards, calls, and visits. They gave me a great deal of comfort and assurance that the Lord was with me and all would be fine.

I have asked to have my name removed from the prayer list because I am doing well. However, it will be several months before I have fully recovered, so an occasional prayer for me would be greatly appreciated.